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Help Support Forest Conservation
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From the windswept coastal forests of southeastern Massachusetts to the vast rolling wilderness of the Berkshires, our way of life is tied to our forests. Massachusetts forests provide an estimated $2.9 billion per year in life-essential services — filtering our air and water and absorbing carbon from our atmosphere.
But these temperate broadleaf woodlands are not only important here in Massachusetts: they are among the least protected habitat types on Earth.
New Pressures, New Strategies
Massachusetts forests have experienced a remarkable comeback. Just 150 years after being cleared for pasture and farm fields, they have recovered to more than 3 million acres. But these forests now face threats that could be more permanent — and more devastating — than anything they’ve had to face in the past.
The Nature Conservancy’s plan is to conserve a network of forested landscapes that is strong enough to withstand the impacts of climate change, the spread of invasive species and the pressures of sprawling development. To do so, we must work closely with state agencies, other non-profits and land trusts to accelerate land protection that expands and connects Massachusetts’ sustainable working forests and ecological reserves. We must also ensure that conservation here is linked to conservation beyond our borders.
Preserving Our Link in the Chain
It is said that in the 1500's, a squirrel in Maine could hop its way to Florida on tree tops alone. Today, that same squirrel would be lucky to make it to the county line. Over the past 500 years, human development along the Eastern seaboard has disrupted the integrity of the vast green highway we call the Appalachians.
The challenge we face today is to identify how — and where — to piece together the remaining forest blocks for the greatest results. That’s where Massachusetts comes in. When the Conservancy identified more than 100 intact forest blocks from southern Maine through northern Virginia, they found more than 20 of the most connected blocks in Massachusetts.
To strengthen these links, the Conservancy is working with the University of Massachusetts to create a computer model that shows where connections should be preserved or restored. When complete, the model’s maps and scenario-testing software will inform land protection, road design and the building of structures to accommodate wildlife and key ecological processes like river flow.
Keeping Woodlands Wild – and Working
Forests are much more than tree cover. Securing large “core” areas, or reserves, where the forest is fully protected and managed only by nature helps maintain habitat for forest species from salamanders to songbirds. Large, intact forests with a range of tree ages and species can also better withstand disturbances like storms, invasive species and insect pests and forest diseases.
But to accommodate natural processes and allow wide-ranging species like black bears and bobcats to move between habitats, forest cores must be surrounded by larger swaths of protected lands. This is where forestry — done carefully and sustainably — can work hand in glove with conservation, providing landowners with a sustainable income that in turn provides a disincentive for clearing and developing forest lands.
To this end, the Conservancy is working with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and other partners to help the state maintain green certification on its lands, enhance community outreach and implement incentives that will help landowners keep their lands forested. The ultimate goal of all of these strategies is to protect nine large forest reserves and surround them with more than a million acres of sustainably-managed working forests.
A Future for Our Forests
Regaining our forests only to lose them again is a painful possibility. But The Nature Conservancy is committed to achieving a different future in Massachusetts. We envision thousands of acres rolling over green hills, through pristine wetlands, down into valleys and up mountain slopes. We envision stable forest economies where a healthy balance between forestry, tourism and recreation helps ensure the future of our forests.
Putting this plan into action now will help our forests weather the changes ahead and ensure that they continue to support a magnificent network of life — both human and wild.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Jerry and Marcy Monkman (Mount Tom and the Connecticut River); Photo © USFWS (Ovenbird); Video © TNC (Massachusetts forests video).
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